I have a trick that’s practically guaranteed to get you to sleep within ten minutes — which is especially helpful if you suffer from anxiety like I do.
Here it is: Imagine the day you just had. But don’t just mull over your day — imagine it in real-time. For example, see yourself getting up and splashing water on your face. Imagine how you went downstairs, and every step of preparing a pot of coffee. Then imagine yourself putting in the milk, stirring the coffee, and drinking it. Don’t rush…imagine every aspect as if you were really there right now. How does the water feel? How does the coffee smell?
In most cases, you’ll be asleep before you even get to drinking the coffee. Forcing yourself to imagine each minute of your day keeps distracting thoughts — oh, no, I forgot to pay that bill! — from creeping in, and calms your mind.
I wish I could remember where I read this so I could give credit. But I use it whenever I have trouble falling asleep, and it usually works great. Try it and let me know how it went!
